ransom



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. v G. P. RANIQOM.

' WATGHMAN$ TIME RECORDER.

N0. 543,655. Patented July 30, 1895.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

No Model.)-

G. P. RANSOM. WATGHMANS TIME RE'UORDER.

No. 543,655. Patented July 30, 1895.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. RANSOM, OF MILWAUKEE, YV ISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHAROLD G. UNDERWOOD, OF SAME PLACE.

WATCHMANS TIME-RECORDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,655, dated July 30,1 895.

Appli a filed September 4, 1894. Serial No. 521,999. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. RANSOM, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and inthe Stateof Wisconsin, have invented certain newand useful ImprovementsinTime-Recorders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to insure retraction of pricking-pins orother reciprocative devices employed as parts of time-recordingapparatus to mark a removable record-dial, sheet, or ribbon traveled bya clock mechanism in synchronism therewith.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple, compact, andeconomical apparatus especially adapted for recording the time awatchman visits various stations on his beat, said invention consistingin certain peculiarities of construction and combination of partshereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, andsubsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical transverse section of atime-recording apparatus organized according to my invention, and Fig. 2a plan view of the same partly broken away.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A rep resents a suitable casingthat may be provided with a glazed cover in hinge and lock connectiontherewith, as is common in the art to which my invention relates.Supported in the casing is a clock-train B that serves as a motor for ashouldered disk 0, having a depending thimble b, engaged by a post 0 ofsaid train and made fast thereto by a key-pin d or other suitable means,the post being timed to make one revolution in a predetermined number ofhours. The disk is provided with a series of points 6, and detachablyheld on said disk by means of the points is a paper dial D having a timescheme delineated thereon.

As herein shown the dial is schemed for twelve hours, and theclock-train post is geared to complete one revolution in the same time;but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to a rotativedial, as it is not uncommon in the art to delineate a timescheme on apaper sheet or ribbon and travel the same opposite a registeringpoint bymeans of power derived from a clock-train.

As herein shown the casing'containsa transverse bar E arranged above thedial, and this bar is provided with a series of tapped openings engagedby screws F, the inner ends of these screws being recessed, asillustrated in Fig. 1, when they are employed in opposition toreciprocati've pins G utilized to prick said dial. By having the innerend of each screw recessed I obtain sufficient clearance for insuring aprick in the dial by the pin in line with said screw, and at the sametime this screw acts as a stop to prevent said dial from being liftedoff the points on the rotative disk or carrier. The employment of thescrews enables me to obtain a fine adjustment proportionate to the throwof the pricking-pins; but other reciprocative devices, such asembossing-punch es or printing-bars, may be substituted for said pins,and it also follows that other adjustable or non'adjustable devices maybe utilized in place of the screws to serve as stops in the path of theaforesaid pins or their substitutes.

The pins G (or analogous devices) work in guide-openings in a bar Hparallel to bar E on the opposite side of the dial, and the inner end ofeach pin is pivotally connected to a lever I, the latter being fulcrumedbetween parallel arms J extending from a bracket or plate K secured inthe casing transverse of the latter and constituting the support for aseries of electromagnets L, the armature M of each magnet being shown asconnected by a refractive springfto another arm of said bracket orplate.

A spring gis preferably employed in opposition to the outer edge ofthelever I to steady the latter, and the inner edge of this lever isprovided with a notch h normally engaged by a dog P, the latter beingpivoted intermediate of its extremities to another lever Q that is alsofulcrumed between a pair of the bracket or plate'arms above specifiedand joined by alink R with one of the aforesaid armatures. Extendingfrom the notch-engaging end of each dog P is a wiper S, and a lateralprojection 71 on the adjacent lever I is arranged in the path of thiswiper.

A spiral spring j is interposed between the inner end of each dog P andadjacent lever Q, this spring serving to hold said dog in contact with apreferably-adjustable stop T supported in the casing, the stops hereinshown being screws that turn in rods U mounted on standards V on thebottom of said casing. By having the stops T adjustable the tension ofthe springsj may be regulated and the trip of the dogsP accuratelytimed.

To economize space and provide for the employment of a number ofreciprocative pricking-pins or analogous devices in a single casing, Iarrange the electromagnets in two parallel series, those in one seriesbeing sufficiently out of line with those in the other series to permitof the bracket or plate arms J being disposed to the best advantage, itbeing shown in Fig. 1 that the arms corresponding to the magnets in oneseries alternate with those in the opposite series.

In practice each electromagnet is wired to a push-button or othersuitable make-andbreak device at some distant point, and the circuitbeing closed the relative armature is attracted. As the armatureapproaches the magnet the lever Q, is swung on its fulcrum by theoonnectingdink R, and the dog I carried by said lever being inengagement with the notch in the other lever I the latter is also swungon its fulcrum to cause an action of the pricking-pin or analogousdevice on the dial to thereby record the time at which the magnet wasenergized. Before the armature is fully attracted, the resistance of thestop T against the dog I will cause the latter to move on its pivot andtrip out of the notch in the lever I, and subsequent to this operationthe wiper S will come against the lateral projection i on said lever.The armature continuing toward the magnet the movement of the lever Q,results in pressure of the Wiper S on the lateral projection 71 of thelever I, and consequently the return of the latter lever to normalposition is assured, even though the magnet remains energized for anindefinite length of time, as not infrequently occurs in electrictime-recorders. At the left in Fig. l the normal position of partsinvolved in the lever mechanism is shown by full lines. At the right inthe same figure the full lines show the lever mechanism when theprickingpin or analogous device has operated on the the dial, andreferring again to the left of said figure the dotted lines show saidmechanism as it appears when a trip of the dog involved therein hastaken place. The pricking-pin or analogous device being positivelyretracted as soon as it has made a registration, there is no impedimentto the travel of the dial and consequently the latter cannot tear orpull away from its carrier.

\Vhile I have shown my apparatus organized as a time-recorder to beoperated electrically from distant stations, it may as readily beorganized for operation by pneumatic, hydraulic, or mechanical impulsesfrom such stations, and it may also be organized to have all theregistrations made at one station, as is common with recorders utilizedto keep the time of workmen in factories and other places of business.

As one instance of possible variation in the apparatus, herein shown andparticularly de scribed, the electromagnets may be omitted and thearmatures serve as levers to be actuated by push-keys, inserted throughapertures made in the casing, but under any circumstances the mainobject of myinventiou isto prevent a continued contact of themarkingdevice and dial or analogous device. It is also possible to varythe structural detail and arrangement of the various parts involved inthe apparatus \vithoutin any way al'fectingthc general operation, oneimportant feature of the latter being that the retraction of anyof themarking devices is a result of the same power exerted to effectitsimpact, or, in other words, the lever attached to a marking device isacted upon successively by the dog and its wiper extension connected toanother lever, while this lever is on throwin one direction,whereby thelift and trip of the former lever is effected, the trip being incidentalto a resist ance in the path of said dog on that side of its pivotfarthest from the wiper extension. It also follows that after the doubleaction of the lever connected to a marking device has been effected theother lever must be returned to normal position before another operationof the relative marking device can be ellected, but any impediment tosuch return cannot in any way interfere with the travel of thetime-record.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a time-recording apparatus, the combination of a removablerecord-dial or analogous device and its motor, a pricking-pin oranalogous marking-device opposed to the record-device but normally outof contact therewith, a lever connected to the marking-device andprovided with a lateral projection, an actuating mechanism that hastrip-engage ment with the lever, and a wiper extended from theactuating-mechanism to operate upon the lever-projection when a trip ofsaid mechanism takes place.

2. In a time-recording apparatus, the combination of a removable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarkingdevice in normal opposition to the record device, a leverconnected to the marking-device, another lever, a lift-and-trip devicepivoted to the latter lever to operate the former lever, a stop in thepath of one extremity of the lift-and-trip device, and suitable meansfor actuating the lever to which said lift-and-trip device is pivoted.

3. In a time recording apparatus, the combination of a removable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarking-device, in normal opposition to the record device, a leverconnected to the marking-device, another lever, a pivotal lift-and-tripdevice carried by the latter lever to operate the former lever, a stopin the path of one extremity of the lift-andtrip device, anelectro-magnet, an armature for the magnet, and a link connecting thear-' mature with the lever to which said lift-andtrip device is pivoted.1

4. In a time-recording apparatus, the com bination of a removable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarking-device in normal opposition to the record device, a notchedlever connected to the marking-device and provided with a lateralprojection, another lever, a dog pivoted intermediate of its extremitiesto the latter lever and normally engaged with the notch in the formerlever, a wiper-extension on the dog opposed to the lateral projection onthe marking device lever, a stop in the path of that portion of the dogfarthest from the wiper-extension, and suitable means for actuating thedog-carrying lever.

5. In a time-recording apparatus, the combination of a removable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarking-device in normal opposition to the record device, a notchedlever connected to the marking-device and provided with a lateralprojection, another lever, a dog pivoted intermediate of its extremitiesto the latter lever, a wiperextension on the dog opposed to the lateralprojection on the marking-device lever, a stop in the path of thatportion of the dog farthest from the wiper-extension, anelectro-magnet,.an armature for the magnet, and a link connecting thearmature and dog-carrying lever.

6. In a time-recording apparatus, the combination of a removable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarking-device in normal opposition to the record device, a leverconnected to the marking-device, another lever, a spring-controlledlift-and-trip device pivoted to the latter lever to operate the formerlever, a stop in the path of an extremity of the lift-and-trip device,and suitable means for actuating the lever to which said lift-and-tripdevice is pivoted.

7. In a time-recording apparatus,the combination of aremovable recorddial or analogous device and its motor, a loose prickingpin or analogousmarking device in normal opposition to the record device, a leverconnected to the marking-device, another lever, a lift-and-trip devicepivoted to the latter lever to operate the former lever, an adjustablestop in the path of an extremity of the lift-and-trip device, andsuitable means for actuating the lever to which the lift-and-trip deviceis pivoted.

8. In a time-recording apparatus, the combination of a removablerecord-dial or analogous device and its motor, a row of pricking pins oranalogous marking-devices arranged to oppose the record-device, twoparallel series of supporting-arms extending toward the marking-devices,the arms in one series alternating with those of the other series, alever connecting each marking-device with one of said arms, anotherlever in connection with each arm, a lift-and-trip device pivoted to thelatter lever to operate the former lever, and suitable means foractuating the lever carrying the lift-and-trip device.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I v have hereunto set my hand,at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. RANSOM. Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, HENRY DANKERT.

